One Body, Many Members

One Body, Many Members

The “body of Christ” is a metaphor that has been preached many times; we understand it to be synonymous with the Church. The implications, of course, being that God has arranged the body––the Church––as an interdependent organism in which diversity is essential. But what if when the apostle Paul talks of the “body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12, he’s talking about something more than just the church? What if Paul is talking about a metaphysical reality brought about by the activity of the Holy Spirit that suggests we all––not just the Church, but all of creation as God’s beloved––are connected to one another? Perhaps the “body of Christ” is a vivid expression of Paul’s conviction that each one of us is called to play a role in God’s act of reconciliation and redemption for all of creation. When we, as the Church, live as the body of Christ, we bear witness to a greater reality that exists where true belonging is extended to all people.

1 Corinthians 12.12-31
Rev. Kyle R. Anderson, preaching
Click here to read the sermon manuscript.